|
Your computer's mouse serves as the primary way of interacting with Windows, but you already knew that. You can click the left mouse button or the right mouse button, or you can roll the wheel in the middle (if you have one), and the mouse will do different things, depending on where you click or roll.
 | If you're left-handed, you can interchange the actions of the left and right mouse buttons — that is, you can tell Windows Vista that it should treat the left mouse button as if it were the right button, and the right button as if it were the left. The swap comes in handy for some left-handers, but most southpaws prefer to keep the buttons as is, because it's easier to use other computers if your fingers are trained for the "normal" setting. To switch left and right mouse buttons, follow these steps: |
1. Choose Start --> Control Panel --> Mouse (which is in the Hardware and Sound section).
2. Click the Buttons tab.
3. Select the Switch Primary and Secondary Buttons check box.
4. Click the OK button, and then click the red X to exit the Control Panel.
| Windows has a feature called ClickLock that can come in handy if you have trouble holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse at the same time — a common problem for laptop users who have fewer than three hands. When Windows uses ClickLock, you hold down the mouse button for a while (you can tell Windows exactly how long) and Windows "locks" the mouse button so that you can concentrate on moving the mouse without having to hold down the button. To turn on ClickLock, follow these steps: |
1. Choose Start --> Control Panel --> Mouse (which is in the Hardware and Sound section).
2. On the Buttons tab, select the Turn on ClickLock check box.
3. Immediately click the Settings button and adjust the length of time you need to hold down the mouse button for ClickLock to kick in.
4. Click the OK button twice, and then click the red X to exit the Control Panel.
The best way to get the feel for a new mouse? Play one of the games that ships with Windows. Choose Start --> Games and take it away. Minesweeper, Chess Titans, and Solitaire are good games for mouse orienteering. Try clicking in unlikely places, double-clicking, or right-clicking in new and different ways.
 | Inside the computer, programmers measure the movement of mice in units called mickeys. Move your mouse a short distance and it has traveled a few mickeys. Move it to Anaheim, and it's put on a lot of mickeys. |
|
